Heat control



June 23, 1925'. 1,543,184

1.. R. CAKES HEAT CONTROL Original Filed Nov. 5 1920 F/GJ. a: 27

' INVENTOR LUC/H/Y fP. 017/456.

\ ATTORNEY Patented June 23, 1925. I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUCIA! 3. OAKB, QFTIPTON, ASSIGNOB. TO THE CAKES IAKUI'ACTUBI'IG OOIPAHY, 0F TUTOR, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

HEAT CONTROL.

Original application fled November 8, 1820, Serial ll'o. 421,588. Divided and this application fled To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUCIAN R. Oaxrs, a citizen of' the United States, residing at Tipton, in the 'county of Tipton and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heat Controls, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to heat controlling means for electric heating elements and is a division of m former application Serial No. 421,538 fil November 3, 1920, and as a matter of illustration, is shown in the present instance as connected with a heating element of an electrically heated incubator although it will be understood that the controllingdevice may be used with any electric heating element used for heating or other purposes where a more or less uniform tem' ture is required. The prime feature 0 the invention is the provision, in connection with a thermostat, of a switch and co-operatingmeans between the switch and thermostat for opening and closing the switch. p

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means for setting parts of'the device whereby different degrees of temperature may be had.

And'i'a further feature of the invention is the provision of means for readily mountthe device in operative sition and prosiding an enclosure there or.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter more fully set forth and pointed out in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical central sectional view through an incubator showing the cona cover 2, said cover being hollowed out to trol attached thereto,

Figure 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the control,

Figure 3 is a vertical central sectional view thereof, and v Figure 4 1s a sectional view as seen on line 4+4 Figure 3. 7

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates th body of an incubator to which is' attached receive a heating element, in this instance a heating coil 3, which is suspended in any suitable manner within the cover. The current for energizing the coil is-conveyed from any suitable source through wires 4 and 5,

the wire 4 being intercepted by a switch mechanism 6 comprising locks 7' and 8 of Iovember 14, 1922. Serial in. 800,921.

' any suitable insulating material, said blocks being elongated and the inner face of the block 8 having a recess 9 into which rojects the ends of contact plates 10 an 11, the contact plate 11 extending nearly the full length of the recess 9' and terminating over the inner end of the. contact plate 10 the meeting ends of said plates having contact points 12 and 13 respectively for .engagement with each other. One section of the wire 4 engages the contact plate 10 while the opposite section thereo f enga 1 the contact plate 11, the section engaging 0 contact 11 being also connected with one terminal of the coil 3. Contact between the points 12 and 13 is made or broken intermittently depending upon the degree of heat within the incubator, and the plate 11 is moved to break the circuit through the influence of a thermostat 14 which when expanded engages a plunger 15 and moves the same lengthwise, a rod 16 passing through said contact plate 11 having shoulders 17 and Y18 positioned on opposite sidesof the contact late 11 whereby the plate will be positive y moved out of or into engagement with plate 10 incident to the longitudinal movement of the plunger and rod connected therewith.

.Associated with the block 8 is adial 19 which. is provided with suitable graduations v20 with which co-operates an indicator 21 fixed to'the. outer end of the rod 16, a knob 22 being provided for readily rotating the indicator and rod to which it is attached. When the indicator 21 is ositioned as shown in Figure 2 of the rawi the outer free end of the plunger 15 inclose proximity to the thermostat 14 so that the temperature withinithe incubator will be kept at a low degree owing to the limited amount of expansion required to engage the thermostat with the plan r, the

aduations on one-half of the dia being esignated by the word Cold and he an arrow pointing in the direction in wli i rifi the indicator is to be moved to further reduce the tem rature within the incubator. On the opposite half of the dial the aduations are indicated by the word 0t, an arrow associated therewith showing in which direction the indicator is to be swung for increasing the temperature within the incubator. As best shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, by continuing the movementv of vio the indicator in the direction indicated by the arrow associated with the word Cold the plunger 15 will be moved still closer to the thermostat 14, but when the temperature within the incubator is to be increased the indicator 21 is reversely rotated thereby rotating the rod 16 in the opposite direction and causing the plunger 15 to travel away from the thermostat incident to the threaded en agement of the plunger with the rod, and t e prescribed degree of temperature ma be determined and maintained substantia ly uniform by properly positioning the indicator over that portion of the graduations designated by the word Hot.

After the proper temperature has been reached it will be automatically maintained b the action of the thermostat against the p unger, it being readily apparent that the further. the end of the plunger is from the thermostat the greater expansion will be required to cause the thermostat to engage the plunger and break the circuit between the contacts 10 and 11.

As soon as the slight excess temperature has been reduced, incident to breaking connection between the contacts 10 and 11, the thermostat 14 will contract and the spring tension of the plate 11 move the plunger endwise and again close the circuit through the contacts 10 and 11 and again energize the coil 3. Extending from the cover 2 is a tube 23 which surrounds the meeting ends of the plunger 15 and rod 16, and by forming the plunger 15 substantially square in cross section and crimping the. free end of the tube 23 to form a substantially square socketing 24 the plunger 15 will be held against rotation thereby causing it to move lengthwise as the rod 16 is rotated.

The thermostat 14 is supported by a bracket 25, which bracket is preferably formed in two companion sections and clamped together, one end of the bracket being provided with a collar 26 which passes around the tube 23 and thus holds the thermostat suspended in the path of the end of the plunger 15. When the control is used in connection with an incubator, the blocks 7 and 8 are preferably positioned above the cover 2 and are attached thereto in any suitable manner so that the indicator ma be readily set at any time without necessitating the opening of the cover of the incubator, and to protect the indicator and prevent casual displacement thereof, a substantially cup-shaped lid 27 is hinged to the cover 2 and when in lowered position co1npletely covers the switch mechanism and parts associated therewith, a latch 28 being employed for normally holding the lid in closed position.

Although the control is here shown and described as used in connection with an incubator with the parts operating and positioned vertically, it will be readily understood that the control may be used for sustaining a substantially uniform tem erature regardless of what is being heate and that the parts of the control may be mounted in various positions approximating the vertical without influencing the operation of the parts thereof.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a heat controlling mechanism comprising a pair of contact plates having their meeting ends overlapped with each other, a longitudinally movable rod passing through one of said contact plates, means on the rod for causing the contact through which it passes to move away from the other contact incident to the longitudinal movement of the rod, a non-rotatable longitudinally movable plunger adjustably connected to said rod, an indicator connected to the outer end of said rod, a thermostat for moving said plunger lengthwise for disengaging the contact plates, and means for determining the position of the indicator for maintaining a prescribed degree of heat.

2. In a heat controlling mechanism, a contact point having a second contact point resiliently supported in engagement therewith, a thermostatically controlled longitudinally movable member having a cross section with unequal radii for o crating upon the resilient supporting means or making and breaking contact between said points, a tube telescoping said longitudinally movable member said tube havin one end shaped to hold said member against rotation, and means for adjusting the distance between the end of said member and said thermostat whereby the heating range is varied, substantially as set forth.

3. In a heat controlling mechanism, a contact point having a second contact point resiliently supported in engagement therewith, a thermostatically controlled longitudinally movable member having a cross section with unequal radii for operating upon the resilient supporting means for making and breaking contact between said points, a plun r in threaded engagement with said mem r whereby when the member is rotated the plunger will be adjusted longitudinally, a tube telescoping the meetin ends of said member and plunger and having its free end of a configuration to prevent rotation of the plunger, substantially as set forth.

4. In a heat controlling mechanism, an insulating base, a contact point carried by said base, a spring finger carried by said base and having a contact point at its forward end for cooperation with said first mentioned contact point, an insulating cap for said base said cap having a slot on its under side for accommodation of said spring finger and contact points and a thermostatically controlled member connected to the spring fin er for moving the same to make and brea the circuit, and means for adjusting the distance between the end of said member and said thermostat whereby the heating range is varied, substantially as set forth.

5. In a heat controlling mechanism, an insulating base, a contact point carried by said base, a spring finger carried by said base and having a contact point at its forward end for cooperation with said first mentioned contact point, an insulating cap for said base said cap having a slot on its under side for accommodation of said spring finger and contact points, and a thermostatically controlled member connected to the sprin finger for moving the same to make. an break the circuit, said thermostatically controlled member extending through said cap and having-an indicator attached to its u per end, and a dial on said cap having gra uations thereon for determining the position of said indicator for maintaining a prescribed degree of heat, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Kansas City, Missouri,

this 20th day of October, A. D. nineteen 30 hundred and twenty-two.

LUCIAN R. OAKES. [L s.] Witnesses:

Pnacr A. Bonn,

Z. M. Oaxns. 

